Two Clayton County school go virtual after COVID-19 surge
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - It's only a few weeks into the school year, and some schools are already moving into virtual learning as COVID 19 cases continue to climb.
Clayton County Public Schools announced two more of its schools, Rex Middle School and Smith Elementary School would move into virtual learning for at least the next two weeks.
That makes half a dozen Clayton County Schools that have had to close their classroom does temporarily due to the spread of COVID 19.
Several schools pivoted to digital learning in the first month of the 2021-22 school year after cases spiked. Most recently, Clayton County Schools announced Kendrick Middle School in Jonesboro pivoted to online learning on Monday. Faculty and students are projected to return to the classroom on Aug. 30.
Pointe South Middle School and North Clayton High School moved to virtual instruction and their return to classes was postponed about one week after the original projected date of return.
Kay Pace Elementary School of the Arts went online Thursday and is scheduled to be back to in-person instruction on Sept. 2. That's where two of Diondra Thurmon's children go.
She says she was surprised to learn her students would be switching to online so soon.
"We're not being prepared for this. I understand that there's not really a way to prepare but I feel like they can have a better game plan," she said.
According to Clayton County Schools COVID-19 Dashboard, in the week of Aug. 13, the district reported 24 staff members and 83 students tested positive for COVID 19.
"This is really spreading quickly, and it's getting scary at this point," she said.
In a statement, the school district said "As a reminder, the school district will continue to make decisions based on the best interest of all students and
employees while monitoring ongoing matters relative to the pandemic. The data shared by district and school-based leaders as well as key health officials will also aid in determining any next course of actions concerning this situation as well as any other matters that may develop."
Parents like Thurmon say more needs to be done.
"We don't know who's going to survive and who's not going to survive. It's just not fair to put everyone at risk like that, we need a better game plan," she said.
WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage
_____
Sign up for FOX 5 email alerts
Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.